Bhaji on the Beach

I wasn't a fan of Chadha's more recent movie Bend it like beckham, which I cant stress enough just does not at all match up to the quality of this film. Old certainly IS gold, as Bhaji On The Beach clearly demonstrates, focusing on the variety of problems faced by the many characters involved and not just one leading character's problems. This is certainly what makes the movie interesting at all times. Everyone has their own issues in which to deal with and not a single uninteresting second goes by. Theres always something that holds your attention, makes you laugh or sympathise with the character(s) concerned. The combination of the excellent, upbeat dance-orientated music (which was dominant at the time in contrast to today's rubbish), colourful scenes of Blackpool pleasure beach, humour and grim reality makes this a film definitely worth watching. I urge any one interested in this genre of movies to watch this. A fantastic film that whole-heartedly deserves 10/10. It's a shame they don't makes movies like this anymore.

When I was a film student in London I was the only Scot in class which led to the inevitable question " Do you set your screenplays in Scotland Theo ? " I replied I didn't because setting a story in a specific geographical location lessens the marketability of a script because the parochial nature only appeals to a specific audience

BHAJI ON THE BEACH would be an example of what I'm talking about where a bunch of Indian women travel from Birmingham on a day trip to Blackpool . Does anyone think a bunch of women singing the Cliff Richard hit Summer Holiday in Punjabi is funny ? Have you got to be Hindu to appreciate the joke ?

Perhaps I'm being quick off the mark to condemn the movie through its small minded ethnicity because I'm not entirely sure if that's the film's problem . What is certainly a problem are the far too many issues crammed into the story . Things like domestic abuse , teenage pregnancy are touched upon and because of the characters ethnic background racism is makes an appearance too in a story that's overwhelmed by its social conscience and underwhelmed by laughter . If you want to send a message try Western Union instead of celluloid

I found this film thoroughly watchable, and compulsive viewing. I think this was mainly because of the believable main characters, a group of Asian women.

The film itself is a compendium of stories, each person having their own set of problems.

The main cast are members of the "Saheli Women's Group" on a day trip to Blackpool. There is Ginder, a battered wife who has left her husband, a young girl who is pregnant by her black boyfriend, two old women stuck in the past, a vampish "mutton dressed as lamb", and two teenagers chasing boys.

There are some nasty reminders of the prejudice in our society, such as an encounter with louts in a Service Station. There are also some amusing scenes, the teenagers ridiculing their elders for example, yet the mood swings very quickly one way and another, as they are pursued by Ginder's husband and brothers, picnic on the beach, make friends with the locals, and visit a nightclub.

The film's main weakness is the number of issues that it tries to address, it's strength the "ordinariness" of the actors, who could each fill their roles in real life.

On a scale 0-10 7. Expect to be drawn in rather than entertained.

A surprisingly charming little film about a multi-generational group of ethnic Indian women in England going for a day trip to the seaside. The movie dabbles in a number of issues, problems some of the women have, and problems they have with each other, mostly to do with a HUGE generation gap, something often found in immigrant families. A number of the actresses were quiet good, especially Lalita Ahmed. This one's worth a look if you're tired of murders, explosions, and car chases. Grade: B

This could've been a very nice movie, but it was such a letdown and I regret wasting 110mi utes if my life.